Clothkits relaunch

When I was a little girl in the Seventies,Clothkits were the last word in style - amongst the under tens. Consisting of kits of fabric, thread & all the notions necessary for making up the garment, the USP was the avoidance of paper patterns: the pattern pieces were printed directly onto the fabric. All one needed was a pair of scissors.My friends & I all wore a lot of Clothkits, run up on cranky old Singer sewing machines. There were kapok-stuffed cotton dolls too made from designs printed on the spare pieces of fabric: I also had a beloved blue & white sailor doll & my sis had a red Golly. I'm filled with nostalgic thrills to see the company (which closed in 1985) relaunched for the 21st century. It's perfect timing: craft and home sewing has seen a resurgence in the last couple of years, and with the global recession only just starting, the low prices are a proper selling point. (The skirt kit above is just £35.)

Clothkits were famous for - and identifiable by - their whimsical textile prints, and the re-launch of the company (for adults too) by artist Kay Mawer has seen collaborations with some wonderful contemporary artists and designers including screen printer Jane Foster, the glorious Rob Ryan and designers People Will Always Need Plates. This skirt is the current Rob Ryan Design: I particularly love this skirt:
All images reproduced from the Clothkits website.